Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Inhofe
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) responded to President Biden’s 2022 State of the Union address:
The speech we heard from President Biden tonight was just that — talk. I am incredibly disappointed in this administration’s continued harm of Oklahomans and America. It is clear that under President Biden, the state of our union is not as strong as it should be.
President Biden’s foreign policy and national security strategy are making our country less safe, failing to secure U.S. interests, and weakening our reputation around the world. In the last year alone, we have witnessed two of the greatest national defense blunders in my lifetime. For months, we watched Russia’s military buildup around Ukraine — it was plain as day that Putin intended to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty, and this administration wasn’t ready. The only real action taken by the Biden administration came much too late. His deterrence strategy failed, unfortunately for the millions of Ukrainians now fighting for their country and lives. Putin is going to great lengths to get what he wants, and we can no longer afford to drag our feet in acting to support Ukraine. Congress must provide additional aid to help now, because the administration won’t.
Even though President Biden didn’t even acknowledge it once — not even to commemorate the 13 American service members who lost their lives in Kabul on August 26 — no one should forget the rushed withdrawal from Afghanistan that left the Taliban stronger than it was on 9/11. Biden is solely responsible for this terrible decision and the chaos that followed. Perhaps worst of all, the administration told us they’d conduct “over-the-horizon” counterterrorism to mitigate the terrorist threat against the homeland. In reality, we’ve carried out no strikes, and we don’t have the intelligence to even know what al-Qaeda or ISIS is planning.
Across the globe, our adversaries, like Communist China, are taking notes on how the United States and our allies and partners are responding to the crises in Ukraine and Afghanistan. This administration has proven unable to take calculated risks, to think creatively, or to make the investments in national security across the government that would gird America for long-term strategic competition. Instead of focusing on making our world safer from these threats, President Biden has focused our Department of Defense on progressive priorities like climate change and a “woke” social agenda. I will continue to use my position as ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee to hold the Biden administration accountable and to make sure our military gets the resources it needs to defend this country. I don’t want to see yet another mistake — like a return to the failed Iran nuclear deal or an even worse new deal.
Even though we face all of these threats, President Biden has tried to underfund national defense at every turn. Let’s not forget that his very first budget cut funding for our military because it didn’t keep up with inflation — let alone provide the 3 to 5 percent real growth above inflation recommended by the National Defense Strategy Commission. I led the charge to reject his underwhelming budget, and on a bipartisan basis, my colleagues worked with me to boost defense spending. As he works to strengthen our union this year, I hope President Biden makes investment in our national defense a higher priority.
This is even more important because of inflation. President Biden’s policies have led to skyrocketing prices — a 40-year high of 7.5 percent. Oklahomans and Americans are paying the price — the average family will lose thousands of dollars in buying power this year. Everyday necessities like food and gas should not cost a small fortune. Gas at the pump is near an 8-year high with prices only expected to rise in the months ahead. For our troops, that means lower pay, fewer modern weapons, and less training. Instead of working to cut costs and boost production, Democrats have sought reckless tax-and-spend sprees that would stick Oklahoma families with higher costs and lower wages. I will fight these policies and continue to work toward solutions that bring about real economic recovery for Oklahoma.
President Biden’s terrible record on energy and climate has not been forgotten and is on full display across America. Take the Paris Climate Agreement—President Trump wisely withdrew from the job-killing deal altogether. It was a failure when Obama introduced it, with no means of enforcement, sustainability or legal significance. President Biden has rejoined this failed agreement by executive action with no effective plan to actually hold accountable the world’s largest polluters, including China, Russia or India. Not to mention the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and its associated 10,000 jobs. This pipeline would have strengthened our energy independence as it was expected to carry over 800,000 barrels of oil per day, which would have increased domestic supply and reduced the supply and demand disruption we are witnessing today that have increased oil prices above $100. While this administration has called for more foreign oil production, it remains clear to Oklahomans that the real solution to our energy needs is to cut regulations and unleash American energy production like we did under the Trump administration — and the situation in Ukraine makes this even more essential.
This administration has lost sight of what is important to the people of this nation, but I have not. While the Biden administration is working against Oklahomans and America, I will continue to fight for policies and initiatives that improve our national security and provide real relief to families.